Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, OR · WA
Open oak meadows give way to streamside cascades.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Columbia River Gorge Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this area
The Cliff and the Fold“The cliff at Coyote Wall has two different stories written in its basalt. Pressure from regional folding tipped the lava layers; that's why locals call this place the Syncline.”
Plays on the road 0.4 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Columbia River Gorge Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Little Maui Trail #4425 is a 1.13-mile point-to-point route from the upper old-jeep-road junction down to Old Ranch Road. It crosses open grassland dotted with solitary white oaks, then follows a stream past small cascades. Allow about 45 minutes for the segment; reaching the start and returning to a car adds connector miles. The common 3.8-mile Coyote Wall–Moab/Maui Loop includes Little Maui plus other trails and roads.
The upper plateaus open toward Coyote Wall and the Columbia River, with spring wildflowers on the slopes. Lower down, the route follows a stream past small cascades over basalt. Around 0.9 mile down, stay straight at a junction to keep to Little Maui; shortly afterward it meets Old Ranch Road. The narrow, rugged trail is shared with mountain bikers.
Park at the Forest Service Coyote Wall Trailhead off Courtney Road by Highway 14, east of Bingen, and use established connectors to reach the upper junction and return from Old Ranch Road. The day-use lot has designated parking, a vault toilet, no potable water and no fee. Dogs are allowed; leash them from December 1 through June 30. Watch for poison oak and stay on the main tracks at forks.
Wildlife
267 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
51 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
136 sightingsAmerican PikaMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
16 sightingsWapitiMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
195 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
74 sightingsChinook SalmonMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Columbia River Gorge. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateOld Ranch Road Trail6.4 mi · 4.3 hr · 0.4 mi awayA long, rocky climb from old pavement to Gorge views.
ModerateLittle Moab Trail3.4 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA rocky basalt rim walk above steep wooded slopes.
ModerateCatherine Creek Labyrinth3.6 mi · 3 hr · 0.7 mi awayA basalt maze, a creekside waterfall, and a viewpoint worth the climb.
EasyMosier Creek Falls1 mi · 45 min · 1.5 mi awayA quick town walk to an 80-foot, two-tiered waterfall.
ModerateMosier Plateau Trail3.5 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayA creekside waterfall, spring flowers, then a steep climb to Gorge views.
EasyCatherine Creek Interpretive Trail1 mi · 54 min · 1.8 mi awayA paved mile through wildflower slopes to the Catherine Creek Falls view.
ModerateHistoric Columbia River Highway State Trail — Twin Tunnels Segment4.5 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.8 mi awayWalk the old highway through twin tunnels with framed river views.
EasyRowena Plateau Loop2.6 mi · 1.5 hr · 4.9 mi awayIce Age ponds, spring flowers and two big views from the plateau.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayMosier Creek FallsA quick waterfall stop, with a historic bridge on the way in.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayMosier Twin TunnelsHistoric highway tunnels with windows that frame the Gorge.
Sight · 2.4 mi awayMemaloose OverlookA quick river view across to Memaloose Island.
Campground · 2.6 mi awayMemaloose State Park CampgroundCamp beside the Columbia, with Memaloose Island in view.
Sight · 5 mi awayRowena Crest OverlookSee the Columbia and Rowena Loops together in one roadside view.
Sight · 5.5 mi awayMayer State Park – River AccessChoose among wind sports, sheltered paddling, or a riverbank picnic.
Sight · 5.6 mi awayHood River Event SiteWatch windsurfing and kiteboarding right on the river.
Beach · 5.9 mi awayHood River Waterfront ParkA sandy swimming cove for a low-key Columbia River break.Parkwolf’s Columbia River Gorge ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
